Other Lives
by Silvernote
Summary: What if Inuyasha was never sealed? Six years after Kikyo's death, Inuyasha, Kaede, and others must defeat Naraku and stop his attempts to complete the Jewel.
1. Prologue: Shattered Jewel

**A/N: Hi, and welcome to _Other Lives, _my first fanfiction. Please review and let me know what you think!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Prologue: Shattered Jewel**

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The sun rose, and Inuyasha did not come. Kikyo glanced around her constantly, expecting to glimpse a flash of red and silver at any moment. The Jewel in her hand glowed white with the purity of the wish to come. 

Was this what it meant to be in love, this feeling of reaching out blindly into empty space? She had grown so weak and tired. Now, at last, she would set down her burden and become human.

When Inuyasha came.

* * *

Why did Kikyo not come? Inuyasha scuffed a bare foot back and forth in the dirt. They should do this quickly, he thought. The longer he waited, the more he would doubt. All his life, he had hated his human side. Once a month, when his claws disappeared and his strength withered, he hid himself away. 

But to be a human would not be the same as to be a half-demon with a human night. He would be able to stop fighting. There would be nothing to flee, and nothing to strive for.

Because he would have Kikyo. When she came, any moment now, he would take her white hand in his clawed one, and they would make the wish. They would be together forever. They would live in peace, not as a half-demon and priestess, but as a man and woman.

Absorbed in her thoughts, Kikyo did not hear the footsteps until they had reached her. She saw red cloth out of the corner of her eye, and her heart soared. Her lips began to lift in one of her rare smiles.

"Inuyasha--"

Savage claws ripped into her shoulder. Blood sprayed every which way. She toppled, still clutching the Jewel.

"As if I would ever become human." There was something chilling in that voice—pure loathing, such as she had never heard before, and mockery.

His foot stamped down on her outstretched hand. She felt the bones snap, and her fingers go limp.

"Thanks for the Sacred Jewel, though."

She felt its purified light turn black at his touch.

"Now I just have to make it devour more blood. I think I'll go slaughter the villagers. Good-bye."

Kikyo clutched at her shoulder. This was the love she had earned, by loving a monster, and by being one herself. These were the wedding caresses she deserved, for seeking to avoid her fate.

She had paid the price for her foolishness, but she could not allow others to suffer. Heedless of the blood dripping onto the ground, Kikyo struggled to her feet, using her bow as a support. She had to stop the half-demon before he harmed the villagers and corrupted the Jewel past purification.

She remembered walking along this path with Inuyasha beside her. Was it really possible that his shy, awkward behavior had come from a rotten heart? How could it all have been an act?

She touched bloodstained fingers to her lips. Golden eyes seemed to stare at her from behind every tree, angry and accusing.

* * *

The arrow that whizzed past his head would have hit him squarely in the back if he hadn't heard it coming. He turned, and ducked to avoid being struck by another. He was overcome with horror as he gazed at his attacker. 

"Kikyo--" he pleaded.

"As if I would let a filthy half-demon like yourself have the Sacred Jewel! Die, Inuyasha!" Her voice was icy as she nocked another arrow to her bow. A mocking smile tugged at her crimson lips.

He fled, becoming a red blur between the trees.

Kikyo did not love him. She had never loved him. The warmth he had glimpsed in her eyes had been nothing but a lie. She had never felt anything for him but hate.

If the world would always hate him, he would find no sanctuary. He must become strong. He must become a full demon.

He burst into the hut, claws bared. The fool priestess had left the Sacred Jewel there, planning to kill him all along!

How had she managed to feign the compassion in her voice? Why hadn't she killed him long ago, instead of toying with him week after week? She really was an icy bitch. He wouldn't let her near him again. He had learned his lesson about humans!

Grinning like a maniac, he seized the Jewel. It smelled of Kikyo's blood.

"Inuyasha?" asked a wavering voice. Leaning against the wall was a young girl with a bandage wrapped around her head to cover a wounded eye. "What's wrong, Inuyasha? Have you seen my sister?" She stumbled towards him. Fear was written across her face, but not of him.

He gave a low growl. How could he harm a child who trusted him? Well, humans all grew up rotten anyway, so it was no matter.

"Inuyasha, what happened to my sister? She went out with the Jewel and hasn't come back. Why do you have the Jewel?"

He shoved her away. Caught off guard, she fell to the floor with a cry.

"Kikyo tried to kill me!" he snarled. "She shot at me and called me a filthy half demon. So I'm gonna take the Jewel and become a full demon now! I've had enough of you humans!"

He dangled the Jewel in the air.

Kaede shook her head vigorously.

"Kikyo would never...she brought you the Jewel!"

"Did you lose your brains with that eye? Kikyo came to kill me and left the Jewel behind. You humans are all murderous bastards, even your precious sister." Why was he even arguing with the kid?

"No! She took the Jewel!" Kaede insisted, and began to weep. "She took the Jewel and went to give it to you. But you said...you came here to take it. Something must have happened. You have to help me." She grabbed his sleeve.

He sniffed the air. It was thick with the scent of Kikyo's blood. What the hell was going on? Was there some demon nearby, pursuing the Jewel?

"Look, I don't understand this, but something's wrong. Let's go." He lifted Kaede onto his back, and dashed out of the hut, determined to find an answer.

They found Kikyo where she had collapsed a little ways out of the village. A trail of blood stretched behind her, off into the forest.

Kaede let out a shriek and ran to her sister's side. She began tearing strips from her kimono and attempted to staunch the flow of blood from Kikyo's wounded shoulder, but the cloth was soon soaked through and the blood would not stop.

Kikyo's eyes fluttered open.

"I have to...stop him," she managed. Kaede glanced quickly at the half-demon

Inuyasha stood a few feet away, fists clenched. Here was the woman who had lied to him, and who had tried to kill him. Now she was lying here, weak and vulnerable. There was so much blood. He could tell that she was dying.

"Why?..." She took a shallow breath. "Why did you lie to me, and then..." She touched her shoulder with an already bloody hand.

His eyes opened wide. She thought that _he_ had given her these wounds.

"Kikyo, I never…" he began. "I don't understand, but I never…why did you try to kill me?" Never at ease with words, he gazed at her pale face and tried to make her understand.

She coughed, and did not answer.

Loud, mocking laughter echoed all around them. Inuyasha leaped to his feet, while Kaede clung to her sister in terror.

"So," said a rough, low voice. "It was almost too simple."

From behind a tree stepped a tall figure clad in a white baboon pelt, his face hidden in shadow. A foul miasma surrounded him. Enraged, Inuyasha raised his claws, prepared to strike.

The creature only laughed again.

"This has proven most entertaining," he said. "Unfortunately, the game is over. I will take the Jewel now, since you seem unable to destroy each other. A dying priestess and a feeble half-demon such as yourself cannot dare to offer resistance." He moved towards them.

Inuyasha lunged, but the creature easily moved past him and plucked the Jewel from his hand. Instantly, he was out of reach again. Inuyasha charged again, but the creature again evaded, hardly seeming to move at all.

"Damn you!" the half-demon snarled. "This is your doing, then!"

"I won't deny it. You were easy to manipulate."

The almost crazed half-demon flung himself at his opponent, struggling through the red haze that clouded his vision. Again and again, he failed to land a blow.

The creature held up the Jewel, which had become black-violet at his touch. Ignoring Inuyasha, he addressed the priestess.

"As you die, remember the name of Naraku."

"No!" Kikyo cried. "We are not your pawns!" Somehow, she had risen to her feet, and stood there unsteadily, with a sacred arrow at the ready.

She fired, but her hands were shaking. The arrow struck the Jewel dead-on. There was a blinding flash of light, and a powerful explosion. Naraku let out a terrible cry. Colored streaks of light shot across the sky. When the light cleared, he was gone.

Kikyo fell to the ground.

When the light was gone, they found a large piece of the Jewel where Naraku had been. Its light seemed greatly diminished. Kaede brought it to her sister.

"Inuyasha, Kaede," Kikyo whispered, "Burn this piece of the Jewel with my body. I do not know how much of it that Naraku now posesses, but he must _never_ complete it."

"No!" Kaede said. "Once you get better, we'll find the rest of it. We don't need to burn anything…" she trailed off. The time for pretending had passed. "We'll do as you say."

"Leave us for a moment."

Kaede nodded, and moved out of sight, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. Inuyasha heard her burst into tears.

Kikyo looked almost peaceful, with her lips curved in a gentle smile.

"It was not to be, then." Her voice was so soft even Inuyasha could barely hear it. "For me, love was…Farewell, Inuyasha…" There was so much left to say. Now it would remain forever unsaid.

"Is she…?" Kaede asked a short while later, when Inuyasha returned to the village with Kikyo in his arms.

Tenderly, he put her down, the piece of Jewel beside her.

"Be brave, Kaede," he said. "I'll come back when my score with this Naraku is settled."

Then he disappeared into the forest.


	2. Chapter I: One Eyed Priestess

**A/N: Many thanks to my wonderful first reviewers! Here's Chapter 1. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha,

* * *

I: One-eyed Priestess

Over the next six years, Kaede learned to be a village priestess. While the other girls her age gathered flowers, she picked the medicinal herbs Kikyo had showed her. At first, the villagers did not take her seriously. They made endless comments about what Kikyo would have done. It hurt her when she was young, but she learned to conceal her tears until she was finished binding up the wound or applying the poultice, or completed whatever task was at hand. As the years passed, she came to realize that Kikyo had meant as much to the village as to her. Kikyo had been a true priestess, caring for each and every member of the village equally. A priestess could not have personal relationships. Kaede understood that it would have to be the same way for her.

She taught herself to use a bow, slowly and painfully. It was so much more difficult than the first time she had learned. Because she had only one eye, she had no depth perception. At first her arrows went everywhere except her target. She practiced until her arms ached and her fingers were raw and blistered. If she had known any curses, she would have used them liberally. Instead, when she was too exhausted to continue, she would fling the bow on the ground, and stamp on it. After she broke several bows this way, she found safer outlets for her temper. Eventually, she learned to compensate for the lack of an eye, and could hit a standing target regularly. Moving targets presented more of a challenge.

Luckily, now that the Jewel was gone, no truly dangerous demons threatened the village. Kikyo could have obliterated the few insect demons that troubled them in an instant; each cost Kaede extreme fear and effort.

The hardest thing of all was learning to be alone. She had to be strong for the village; never could she reveal her own fears or longings. She never considered the possibility of a man's company. Kikyo had died because of such desires. Of course, the fact that Kaede was an ugly, one-eyed girl.

All she had left in the way of family was Inuyasha, wherever he might be. She often wondered when he would return. He had been gone for six years now, in pursuit of Naraku and the Jewel. For all she knew, he was long dead, dead in some far away place. He might as well be dead, now, a distant figure from the past, the brother-figure and guardian.

And so here she was, in the spring of her sixteenth year, walking the forest with a bow in one hand and a basket to collect medicines in the other. It was quiet here, with only the whistling of the wind through the leaves and the muffled calls of birds high up in the trees. She loved the spring more than any other season. Everything was beginning to bloom.

"Lady Kaede!" a man called from behind, gasping for breath. It was one of the older village men, and it seemed that he had run all the way from the village to find her.

"Is everything all right?" Kaede asked.

"A demon! Attacking the village!" he babbled, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her.

Fighting the urge to panic, Kaede tore herself free and sprinted towards the village. As she ran, she prayed that the demon would prove easy to subdue.

Shouts and screams met her ears as she approached the village. A stream of women clutching the hands of sobbing children straggled towards her.

"Lady Kaede!" they wailed as she reached them. "You must stop the demon. It's destroying everything."

"What type of demon is it?" Kaede demanded, putting an arrow to her bow.

"It's enormous," moaned one woman. "A huge, hairy…" Nobody seemed able to describe it.

Well, at least it did not have a human appearance. Kikyo had taught her that the more resemblance it had to a human, the more dangerous the demon.

She found the demon in the middle of the village, where it was devouring someone's stringy old mule. It was about fifteen feet tall, shaggy, with glowing yellow eyes and foot long claws. Some kind of bear, perhaps.

Kaede took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. This demon was larger than any she had faced before. She told herself that this was just like the other times she had fought demons. It was bigger, more frightening, but exactly the same. She _would_ destroy it.

She had to, or it might tear the village apart and devour the rest of the precious livestock, and maybe even the villagers themselves. Maybe even her.

She pulled the bowstring back to her ear, aimed for where she thought the demon's heart would be, and released. The arrow went wide.

Busy with its meal, the demon did not notice her until the arrow struck it in the leg. It roared with pain and dropped the mule carcass, focusing its baleful yellow eyes on her trembling body.

Even with the arrow in its leg, it was fast for such a large brute. Kaede barely had time to get another arrow to her bow before it was upon her and stretching out a steel claw.

She ducked and scrambled backwards, accidentally releasing the arrow. The bear's claw barely scraped the side of her neck, leaving a shallow cut. Startled by the pain, she dropped her bow. The bear swatted it away, out of reach.

It loomed over her. She could smell its hot, bloody breath. Was this how she was going to die? She closed her eye.

The sound of tearing flesh, and a roar from the bear. Then, a thud, and silence. She opened her eye again to gaze into the face of her rescuer.

She saw golden eyes, long silver hair, and a red robe. A cocky, fanged smile. Also, _pointed _fuzzy dog ears that stuck up on top of his head. Why did he look so familiar?

It was a moment before she realized, and let out a glad cry. She leaped up and seized him in a brief embrace, before being overcome with awkwardness and backing away. It seemed as if a legendary hero had suddenly materialized to save her life.

Inuyasha was back.

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**A/N: Some of you seem to be wondering what form this story will take. I hope it has become clearer with this chapter...it is set six years after Kikyo's death. You will see who the characters are! I will tell you that Kagome is going to be in it at some point.  
**


	3. Chapter II: A Mysterious Monk

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

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II: A Mysterious Monk

Inuyasha was hailed with great enthusiasm by the villagers as their savior. Most of them remembered him from six years ago, the time when Kikyo had still been living and Inuyasha had been constantly at her side (or, rather, skulking about fifteen feet away). While he had frightened them at first, they had grown used to his presence.

He looked younger than Kaede remembered. As a child, she had seen him as an adult. She was a woman now, and Inuyasha had not grown any older. To her surprise, they appeared to be exactly the same age. Yet he seemed less feral and cautious now, and more confident. The old Inuyasha would not have been able to stand more than a moment of this noisy crowd of villagers surrounding him and jabbering questions. Now, he lasted several minutes before displaying signs of extreme discomfort and potential fury. Noticing his almost panicked expression jerked Kaede back to reality.

"Let's go," she said. "I'll give you dinner."

Inuyasha scowled and followed her. A flash of pain crossed his face when he caught sight of the home she had shared with Kikyo, but he made no comment. He sat cross-legged on the floor and watched while Kaede got a fire started and began cooking some stew.

She had no idea what to say.

"Is he dead, then?" she asked at last. "Did you avenge my sister?"

Inuyasha smashed a fist against the floor, splintering the boards that covered it. Kaede winced.

"That bastard Naraku!" he snarled. "Every time I get scent of him, he slips away somehow. He's as slippery as a damn eel. He doesn't have the entire Jewel, though. I'm trying to track down the pieces before he gets them."

Kaede passed him a bowl of stew.

"I'm glad you're back Inuyasha. You were away for a long time."

"Keh!" he said, shoveling stew into his mouth. "I just happened to be passing by. Tomorrow, I'll be on my way. I heard something promising about a village of demon slayers to the north."

"Yes, I think someone from there gave Kikyo the Jewel to protect…" Kaede began, but Inuyasha was no longer listening to her. He seemed focused on something outside of the hut.

"Damn, he's here," he said, setting down his bowl. Kaede, fearing an enemy attack, reached for her bow.

"No need," Inuyasha said. He darted outside the hut, and Kaede heard the sounds of violent scuffling. A moment later a golden ringed monk's staff landed near the fire. A black and purple robed body followed with a thud.

"Got any rope?" Inuyasha called.

The person on the floor let out an indignant cry and sat up, rubbing the bump on his head.

"Honestly, that was completely unnecessary."

From the staff and robes, Kaede judged that he was a traveling monk. He seemed friendly enough. He was a young man, no more than ten years her senior, and had a charming sort of face and a broad smile that made her heart flutter against her better judgment. His black hair was tied back in a braid that fell about halfway down his back, with several small silver bells hanging on the end. His right hand was heavily bandaged, and plastered in some sacred scrolls. Kaede wondered what kind of injury could warrant such protections.

"An honor to meet you, gracious lady," he said, clasping her hands and bowing. "I am Miatsu, a wandering monk, your humble servant…"

Kaede suppressed a nervous giggle.

"Stow it," Inuyasha interrupted. "Didn't I tell you to stop following me?"

"Something to that effect," Miatsu admitted. "But isn't cooperation surely the best way to destroy Naraku? And you never told me the location of the village you heard a rumor about."

"You are an enemy of Naraku, then?" Kaede asked him.

He nodded. "I have opposed his efforts to seize power as best I could. In return, he gave me this." He gestured with his bandaged arm.

Kaede offered him a bowl of stew, which he gratefully accepted. Feeling bolder, she asked,

"Are you injured? I know a fair bit of herb lore—perhaps I can help you."

He shook his head. "Thank you, gracious lady, but no herb lore can cure this wound." He did not seem inclined to say more, so Kaede did not press him.

They sat and ate, saying nothing. At first Inuyasha glowered at Miatsu over the edge of his bowl. Then, he stood, and began to inspect every corner of the hut. He seemed to be searching for something.

He sniffed at a chest tucked against one wall and flung it open. His claws dug deep grooves into the lid. After he had shifted all of Kaede's clothing aside into a pile on the floor, he pulled out a pair of long red pants and clutched them to his chest. They must still smell like Kikyo, Kaede realized. She felt tears spring to her eyes.

Inuyasha glanced up at her.

"Where is she buried?" he demanded.

"Do you want to see the grave?" Kaede said. "It's nearby—I can bring you there."

He hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

She led him to where her sister's ashes were buried, a short walk from her hut. The villagers had erected a shrine there, in her memory. Some of them left humble offerings there from time to time. Kikyo was well on her way to becoming a saint.

Inuyasha stared at the shrine, seeming almost confused.

"It's been six years, hasn't it?" he asked.

"Seven, this autumn."

"It seems like it has been much longer. Strange. I've lived a long time already, but these years have been the longest, and the emptiest. But for you, they were full, weren't they?"

Kaede was startled. Inuyasha rarely spoke like this. He tended to keep his thoughts to himself, and his emotions even more so.

"I had a lot to do," she agreed. "But I was lonely."

They stood looking at the grave for a long time. The red sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon, and the air was growing cold.

"You better go back now," he said, glancing up at the darkening sky.

"Are you coming?"

"Maybe."

She left him there, crouching by the grave, staring moodily at the appearing stars.

She wanted to ask if he still planned to leave the next day, but she knew he would. Naraku still lived, and pieces of the Jewel were unaccounted for. Without Kikyo, there was nothing for him here. The village—Kaede's whole world—was nothing to Inuyasha except a painful memory. No doubt, Kaede herself meant as little. She was nothing but a child to him, the younger sister, who he felt somewhat comfortable with and treated familiarly. He had probably never spared a thought for her over these endless years. So much for Kaede's long-lost hero. She felt angry with herself for all the ridiculous dreams of his return she had cherished. And yet, she almost wished she could go with him when he left. He made the world she knew seem so very small.

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**A/N: So what do you think of Chapter 2 (and Miatsu)? Please review!**


	4. Chapter III: Wind Tunnel

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

**A/N: Thank you very much to my reviewers for all their encouraging words!**

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III: Wind Tunnel

When Kaede returned to her hut, she found Miatsu sitting with his back to the wall, fast asleep, his staff propped beside him. With his left arm, he hugged his wounded right arm to his chest. The sound of her footsteps woke him.

"Excuse me, my lady," he said, giving her a smile. "You don't mind if I stay the night, do you? I am very weary."

"It's fine," Kaede assured him. "You are welcome to stay here." She imagined that if she was not the priestess of the village, it might be slightly scandalous for a young man to spend the night in her home. As it was, she was beyond rebuke.

"You are most kind. I am afraid I have not yet been graced with the knowledge of your name."

"I'm Kaede, the priestess of this village," she said.

"A charming name!" he exclaimed. Once again, Kaede had to force herself not to giggle. He must be flirting with her, she decided. No man had ever so much as feigned interest in her before.

"Will Inuyasha return?" he asked

"I don't know," Kaede admitted. She hoped he would at least say farewell to her before departing. She was ashamed to tell Miatsu that the half-demon had so little regard for her.

"If you don't mind my asking," Miatsu began, "have you known Inuyasha long? He seems to have some past here."

How could she answer that. _He loved my sister. Naraku killed her. He left._ Six years later, the wound was still too raw to share with a stranger, even a kind one.

"I suppose I've known him a while," Kaede said as she served herself some stew and added a log to the fire. "I knew him when I was a child, but he has been away for many years. I was too young to know him well. How about you?"

"I have been following him for six days now. I have been tracking Naraku for several years, and Inuyasha and I stumbled upon the same trail. I arrived first, did battle with the demon…and lost. I do not think Inuyasha will forgive me for that."

He cradled his wounded arm again, all signs of the charming smile vanished from his face. He looked exhausted, and in pain.

"Are you sure I can't…?" Kaede asked, feeling sorry for him.

He shook his head. "I fought Naraku four times over the last few years, opposing him as he sought to increase his influence by stealing sacred objects and killing holy men. All four times I drove him back, but could not defeat him. The fifth time was about a week ago. He was cunningly disguised." At this, to Kaede's surprise, the monk blushed. "I recognized him too late. He escaped yet again, piercing the sacred scrolls I threw at him…piercing my hand." Miatsu shuddered as he recalled it, but began unwrapping the bandages around his arm.

Kaede felt a gentle breeze ripple through the hut as Miatsu held out his right hand, palm up. In the center of the palm was a black gap the size of a pebble, which seemed to swallow all the light from the room.

"I am cursed," said Miatsu, his voice trembling in the darkness. "Already, it widens. Soon it will swallow me up, and everything near me, unless Naraku is defeated first. So I have been following Inuyasha. Having been defeated five times, I realize that I need allies, or…."

Instinctively, Kaede placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her, and placed his good hand on top of her own. She felt her face grow warm, and a strange trembling run through her body. She stiffened, and pulled away from him.

He removed his hand.

"Forgive me, Lady Kaede," he stammered. "I only…" He moved away from her. The bells on his braid tinkled as it swung over his neck. He began wrapping the bandages back around his hand. When he was done, he replaced the sacred scrolls to seal the wound.

"Good night," she said. She lay down on her straw mattress and pulled the blanket over herself, but was unable to sleep.

Soon, she heard Miatsu's soft breathing from the other side of the room. She stared into the glowing embers of the fire, and thought back over everything that had happened that day. The demon. Inuyasha. Miatsu. Word of Naraku, her sister's murderer, alive and working evil.

As she drifted into a dreamlike state, the fire before her became the one on which she had placed her sister's body. She saw Kikyo's pale, dead face among the flames, her black hair beginning to burn and a piece of the Jewel clasped between hands stained with blood that no amount of water had been able to wash out.

The sound of footsteps and the jingling of Miatsu's staff woke her some time during the night. She sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest.

"Is something wrong?" she whispered.

"I sense something nearby," he said from where he stood near the door. "Some powerful demonic presence."

"Not Naraku?" she asked in alarm.

"Oh, no," he assured her. "Not Naraku. It may be nothing at all, but I want to see for myself. Go back to sleep."

"I'm the priestess of this village," she replied, throwing off the blanket and grabbing her bow and quiver. "It's my responsibility to protect it."

The cold night air on her face made her feel awake at last. Miatsu seemed alert—practically jumpy. She followed him away from the village towards the forest. It was the night of the new moon, and very dark. There was no sign of a disturbance. Nighttime was always quiet here, until dawn, when the villagers would rise to begin the day's work. The only sounds were their footsteps, Miatsu's staff, and the bells in his hair.

"It's too quiet," he whispered. "There should be at least an owl. I think something is in the forest, maybe frightening the animals." He closed his eyes. After a moment, they snapped open wide. He grabbed Kaede's arm and pulled her behind a tree.

She heard a rustling, and then something emerged from the forest. She clasped a hand to her mouth. It was something horrible—a tall figure with two heads! To her amazement, Miatsu chuckled.

"An imp!" he whispered.

Kaede looked again, and sighed with relief. It was indeed some sort of imp, with green skin, a beak, and enormous eyes, standing only a few feet high. What she had mistaken for a monster was a strange staff the imp was holding, on the top of which the heads of an old man and young woman were hanging. Even with the staff, the imp did not look very menacing.

It turned back to the forest.

"Are you sure your brother is here, my lord?" it asked in a shrill and piercing voice. Kaede shivered as a chill ran up her spine. This could not be good.

From between the trees stepped a tall, white figure. The air seemed to freeze in her lungs as she stared at it with both fascination and horror.

He wore the clothing of a nobleman—a white and red kimono, a sword tucked into a long sash, a chest plate, and spiked armor over his shoulders, one of which was also covered by a long fur. His silver knee-length hair and pointed ears showed all too clearly that he was not human, as did the twin purple stripes on his cheeks.

He glanced towards Kaede and Miatsu. She had no doubt that he could see them. There was something terrifying and alien about the beauty of his face. His golden eyes seemed familiar, although she could not have told why.

After a moment of staring at them, he turned away, as if he had decided they were not worth his further attention. He moved off towards the village.

Kaede wondered if she should reach for her bow, but realized there was absolutely nothing she could do.

"A demon lord," Miatsu whispered. "What on earth could he be doing here?"

The imp staggered after its master, waving the staff frantically in the air.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" it called. "Are you sure Inuyasha is in this village?"

The demon lord paused for a moment, and spoke in a deep, even voice that, while soft, cut through the night like a blade.

"Are you questioning my judgement, Jaken?"

"No, no, never, my lord!" the imp protested, flinging himself to the ground. "I would never dare…" His voice trailed off into the darkness as he realized that Sesshomaru was already vanishing into the distance, leaving behind only a chill in the air.

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**A/N: Please review and share your thoughts, opinions, and impressions!!  
**


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